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Venus Probe Returns First Images

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the check-out-the-umm-clouds dept.

The BBC reports on the first images returned from Venus by the EU probe. From the article: "They show the hothouse planet's south pole from a distance of 206,452km. Mission scientists are already intrigued by a dark 'vortex' feature which can be clearly seen in one image. Venus Express will orbit the planet for about 500 Earth days to study its atmosphere, which is thought to have undergone runaway greenhouse warming." They're offering some high-rez images of the planet at the ESA website.

2 of 154 comments (clear)

  1. Re:well duh by MichaelSmith · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    Oh i dunno.. maybe the avergae temperature being on avg. 890F, for example?

    Yes but how did it get that way?

    --
    http://michaelsmith.id.au
  2. Re:well duh by drinkypoo · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Yeah, we know that. Here on Earth, we call those kind of atmospheric constituents "greenhouse gases". I'm thinking they don't call them much of anything on Venus, because anyone who might have been alive there is probably gone now :P

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"